Diabetes and a Vegan Lifestyle

By JDRF Delaware

February 22, 2013

Diabetes and a Vegan Lifestyle

By: Ariel Friedlander

Living as a type one diabetic can be hard. The constant injections and finding out you need to up your dosage can be annoying, as well as knowing you are at a greater chance of a heart attack or stroke can be worrying. My number one tip for diabetics struggling to keep their blood sugars stable, want to decrease their dosage and feel more energized and protected is to try out the vegan lifestyle. You may be surprised by this, but transitioning to a vegan diet can impact your blood sugar in the most positive way you have ever thought was possible.

Who knew that switching to a plant based diet could have an impact on your insulin intake? After switching to a detox diet full of leafy greens and vegetables I found my insulin intake decreased and my basal rates required dramatic lowering.

Not only did my insulin intake decrease by about 50%, but a healthy vegan diet is also helping to prevent disease and decrease my risks of other health complications. Type one diabetics have a greater chance of kidney failure, stroke and heart attacks. This diet may help prevent these problems so you can live a long healthy life.

My recommendations for anyone interested in a vegan diet are these two life-changing books. My first is Kimberly Snyder’s book, The Beauty Detox Solution. This is the book that helped jumpstart me into the vegan lifestyle. This book is also great if you still do want the occasional meat and cheese without giving it up completely. She also has a fantastic blog: http://kimberlysnyder.net/.

My second recommendation is Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live. This book is guaranteed to change your life. Joel Fuhrman is a dietician who has helped thousands of patients and plenty of type one and type two diabetics. He also has a blog: http://www.drfuhrman.com and has a fantastic blog post specifically for diabetics: http://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Diabetes.aspx.

While on the vegan diet I feel more energized and lost some weight. Just remember that the key word here is healthy. Try to cut down on processed foods and gluten because these foods are only going to hurt you. White rice and French fries are not going to help you decrease your insulin dosage or risk of health complications. Vegetables are definitely the way to go for someone that is trying to prevent heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. This might sound crazy, but try to eat one pound of raw vegetables a day and one pound of cooked vegetables a day.